Parcel-post-rate indicator.



B. E. BOLLING.

PARCEL POST RATE INDICATOR.

APPLICATION mio SEPT. 16. 1914.

Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

rif/551151K FIRST AND SECOND ZONES ADD 4. To NUMBER 0F POUNDS; EXAMPLE lPOUND PLU54,5 10 PouNos,ADD 4.` 14C: aoLBs. 24C: 301.55.34c

UNITED STATES onine .'BALTZAR E. BOLLING, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR.T0 J'. K. STEWART MANUFAC- TUBING CCMIANY, 0F CIzIIGJIQTrO, ILLINOIS,.A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

PARCEL-POST-RATE INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, BALTZAR E. BOLLING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Parcel-Post-Rate Indicators, ot'which' the following is a speciication, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming apart thereof.

The purp'ose of this invention is to provide an improved device of thenature of a calculating machine for the purpose of cone venientlyascertaining the amount of postage reuuired upon any parcel which may besent by parcel post in accordance with its weightand the zone to whichit is to be sent.

It consists in the elements and features of construction shown anddescribed as indicated in the claim.

In the drawings Figure l is a perspective view of a device embodyingthis invention. Fig. 2 is a view of the entire circumferentiallyinclosing wall or shell of the casing of the device unrolled or extendedflat so that it may be entirely seen ina single View. Fig. 3 is atransverse section at the plane'indicate'd by the line 3 -3 on Fig. l.Figs. 2l, 5, 6 and 'Z' are diametricpsections at the lines lf-, 5 5, 6-6and' 7 7, respectively on i ig. 3. Fig. 8 is an elevation of the paneldevoted to the irst and second zones. v

The device shown in the drawings comprises a cylinder, 1,'h'avingimprinted upon it in tabular form certain numbers whose significance andarrangement is hereinafter described, and a case in which said cylinder,l, is mounted for rotation about its axis, said case comprising heads,2, 2, in which trunnions,3, 8, of the cylindrical member l. arejournaled and outside of which said trunnions-are provided with knurledheads, 4, 4, v'forrotating said cylindrical member. Said case furthercomprises the circumter-v entially extending shell, 5, which fixed Withrespect to the heads, 2, 2, and is subdivided longitudinally intopanels. Said sub-division may be made merely by lines of ruling on theouter surface ot the shell, 5, and for reasons hereinafter stated it ispreferably made by making said shell defiw nitely polygonal in crosssection the heads, 2, 2, being in that case of similar 'form asillustrated.

To adapt the device to the present United States parcel post statute andregulations,

the shell is divided into eight (8) panels being octagonal incross-sections.

The matter printed upon the cylinder, 1, disregarding for the presentthe two lefthand columns, comprises columns'of num bers as follows:First a column, a, of numbers indicating weight expressed in pounds froml to 420, corresponding to the present parcel post statute; but anyother arithmetical series of numbers indicating quantity may besubstituted, according to the precise use to which the implement is tobe put, and the particular regulations to which it is to conform;second, columns b, o, a?, e, f and g, in the order indicated fromleft toright, containing numbers indicating the amount of postage necessary inthe 3rd, lthytli, 6thJ 7th and 8th Zones for the weights indicated incolumn a, termed a base column. It will be understood therefore that thenumbers in column t, being the postage required in the 3rdy Zone, areresultants of the number indicating pounds in column a, compounded witha constant multiplier and increment prescribed as the pound rate tor the3rd zone; and that the numbers in col-- umn c' are similarly resultantsot' the numbers in column a, compounded with a constant multiplier andincrement prescribed as the pound rate for the 4th zone, each column atthe right of column a containing numbers which are resultats of thenumbers in column a compounded with a constant multiplier and increment,the multipliers and increments being distinctive of each of the severalresultant columns and liable to be different for each of said columnsrespectively.

Each of the panels of the circumferentially extending casing, 5, exceptpanel 1G which is conveniently used for explaining the mode ofcomputation in the 1st and 2nd zones, which is special under the presentstatute, and panel, 20, which is devoted to local rates; is devoted to aparticular zone; and contains two apertures, one at the leit positioned'for registering with the numbers in column, a, (base column), and theother positioned for registering with the numbers in the resultantcolumn for the particular zone to which the panel is devoted.

rlihus, in panel, 30, for the 3rd zone, aperture 3l, is positioned'forreading through it the weight indicating numerals of column a, andaperture, 32, is positioned for readlng through it the numbersindicating the postage in the 3rd zone. So in panels, 40, 50, 60, 70 and80, apertures, el, 51,61, 7l and 81 register with the base column andapertures a2, 52, 62, 72 and 82 register respectively 1with resultantcolumnsc, al, e, f and g..

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the operatortaking the `instrument in hand and holding it by the hollow casing, withthe panel corresponding to the particular zone in Aspect to Which hedesires information in view, will rotate the cylinder by means of theprotruding lrnurled knobs to bring the figures denoting the Weight oit'the parcel in hand into registering with the lett-hand aperture ot saidpanel; and when the proper Weight appears at this aperture, he will readthrough the right-hand aperture of the panel in question,

the'amount or" the postage necessary for the parcel or the Weightdenoted by the figures appearing in the lett-hand aperture.

Panel l0 is conveniently used for any general instructions which willassist the operator in using the instrument. Ars illustrated it containsa statement according to the present United States statute and postalregulations of the rule for computing parcel post rates in the lst and'2nd Zones. lt will be understood that this particular printed mattermerely illustrates the use to which this panel may be put for containingany desirable instructions.

By reason of the fact that under the present United States parcel poststatute and regulations, local rates upon certain classes of articlesare provided up t0 ifty pounds, which diler from the rates which wouldbe ascertained from the instructions on panel l0 and which have nodefinite relation to the rates which would be ascertained with regard tothe zones from 3rd to 8th inclusive, the instrument may containprovision for indicating these special local rates. For that purpose thetwo left-hand columns orn the cylinder l, are devoted respectively tonumbers indicating` Weights from` one pound to titty pounds and therates for said weights respectively; and panel 20 is provided With twoapertures, 2l and 22, for registering respectively with the said Weightand rate columns; so that the operator desiring to ascertain these localrates for any given parcel will rotate the cylinder until the figuresdenoting the Weight limits between which the weight of his parcel tailsappear in the lett-hand aperture, 2l, in panel 20 and he will then heable to read in aperture, 22, of said panel the proper i for the parcel.

is indicated above a sub-division of the circum entially fel/tendingshell into panels in y be made by any means sufficient to distinguishthe panels-to the eye, but, by inaking the shell itself polygonal sothat the anels each constitute one side of the polynon or polygonalprism the angles thus formed afford the necessary demarcation. @neVspecific advantage ot adopting this means if defining the zones is thatthe device is vthereby rendered stable when laid upon a supportingsurface Whereas if cylindrical it would be liable to roll.

l claim A computing device comprising an exterior casing which ispolygonal in cross section; an interior member mounted axially torrotation in such casing, and exterior means jfor rotating it, theinterior member having upon its rotating surface characters arranged incircumferential columns and longitudinal lines of which a plurality ofcharacters in the same longitudinal line are to be consultedsimultaneously, the exterior casing having in each of its sideslongitudinally alined side apertures tor disclosing said characters assaid interior element is rotated.

in testimony whereof, l have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, lllinois,this 12th day of September, 1914.

BALTZR E. BOLLlNG.

Witnees f Giras. S. BURTON, Enna lt/i. ll/laclurosn.

